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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967436">but how can I complain</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/japanken/pseuds/japanken'>japanken</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Owl House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Ending, Crack Treated Seriously (At the very end), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Gay Panic, Kissing, One-Sided Attraction, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Tension, Unrequited Crush, Unresolved Tension</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:27:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/japanken/pseuds/japanken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“That’s why when Amity giggled at Luz’s terribly unfunny joke, she didn’t get the hint. She didn’t see it. It sort of turned into a game for Amity. How subtle could she be? What could she get away with? </p><p>“You know… when there’s a shooting star, you’re supposed to make a wish.” Luz says playfully, smirking at Amity. “I bet I know what you’d wish for.”<br/> <br/>Or,</p><p>Amity comes to terms with her feelings for Luz being one sided.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amity Blight/Luz Noceda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>368</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A collection of moments when Amity thought she was finally going to tell her.</p><p> </p><p>Inspired by One Sided Love by Planttvibes</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amity lets out a much needed sigh of relief when she realizes, <em> oh, she doesn’t mean anything by it. </em> Luz has pulled her close, an arm around her neck. At first, she was shocked, it’d happened so suddenly. She was currently processing the fact of just <em> how close </em>she was to her and now- this? </p><p> </p><p>“Ami here is secretly a big ol’ softy,” Luz laughed, patting her head fondly. They were sitting out front of Hexside with a group of friends. Amity didn’t know these people. She just wanted to feel included. “We both like to read <em> Good Witch Azura!”  </em></p><p> </p><p>Amity melts into the embrace because- Luz hasn’t let her go yet for some reason. “<em> Luz!” </em>She hisses- it’s with no real consequence because she loves it- loves her. And Luz knows it. The first part, at least. But Amity realizes that it’s not real. This isn’t a lover's embrace like she thinks it is. Not like she wants it to be.</p><p> </p><p>“I do <em> not!” </em> Amity says in a huff, struggling to pull herself away because it hits her like a truck. She wants to feel this attention. Everyone’s laughing <em> with </em>her. She feels like a baby. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t try to fight it, Amity. We all know your secret now!” Luz says overbearingly and she’s giving Amity this smug, playful smile. Amity thinks she could kiss her right now. She reddens when it becomes awkward. She’s looking around and everyone’s gone quiet, exchanging glances amongst each other. Everyone knows except her. </p><p> </p><p><em> This is one sided, </em>Amity starts to think to herself as she panicked, her head rushing with thoughts. And every day it proves true. </p><p> </p><p>Luz was right about one thing. Amity does like <em> Good Witch Azura </em>. They really weren’t kidding about the secret book club, they made it happen. Even if they were the only ones in it. Luz is being really silly today, taking the extra mile to act out the scenes, do the voices. Amity’s laughing really hard when Luz, who was sitting beside her on the couch, fell into her lap with laughter. </p><p> </p><p>Amity goes dead quiet. Luz laughs, snorting. She stops and suddenly they’re staring at each other. Amity feels her entire face and neck redden. “I-oh! I’m sorry- I didn’t-! Are you mad?” </p><p> </p><p>“No,” Amity manages to say. Luz failed to realize what just happened, how it affected her. To her, it was a mistake. Luz scrambles to get up, Amity’s lap empty. She wishes she stayed. </p><p> </p><p>The two break apart, Luz turns her attention back to her book but Amity knows she isn’t reading as she simmers in her own regret. The tension was so thick. Her eyes felt like they were burning holes in the floor. And for a moment, Amity thinks she’s going to say something. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Can I tell you something?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Is… something wrong?” Luz asked, looking at her with cloudy eyes. Making eye contact is a grueling effort.</p><p> </p><p>Amity shakes her head, a wistful smile appears on her face. “How about I read next?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It’s just a one sided love story.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>It’s like all the stars had aligned, quite literally. </p><p> </p><p>“I tried inviting Willow and Gus but they were busy,” Luz said, sighing. She plucked up right away and Amity flinched. Her bright smile was contagious. It made her feel like she was on fire. “So, I was wondering if maybe… you wanted to come and watch the star shower with me tonight?” </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Amity wanted to answer. But she physically, actually <em> couldn’t. </em> She was caught in the way Luz had asked that so casually, like they were friends. They were friends, weren’t they? <em> We are friends, </em> Amity consoles herself. <em> We can do this. Don’t ruin this. Say yes! </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Sure. Yes!” Amity stammered. Luz sighs with relief, smiling again. </p><p> </p><p>“<em> Great </em>! I’ll see you at my house tonight at sundown?” </p><p> </p><p>“Um- yes! Definitely. I <em> will </em> be there.” Amity says and the only person she’s convincing is herself. Luz raises an eyebrow but otherwise doesn’t mention anything else. They will be meeting tonight. <em> Alone </em>. Amity slouches against her locker, her arms threaten to drop her heavy weighted books.</p><p> </p><p>At this point, it was futile. The way she felt was way past purely platonic. And yet Amity thought she was being <em> so </em>obvious. She thought it was clear how head over heels she was. But now she’s not sure if she wants Luz to figure it out or not. Maybe she’d tell her tonight. Maybe she’d never figure it out. Maybe Amity would be okay with the fact that Luz is oblivious. Painfully, utterly oblivious.</p><p> </p><p>That’s why when Amity giggled at Luz’s <em> terribly </em>unfunny joke, she didn’t get the hint. She didn’t see it. It sort of turned into a game for Amity. How subtle could she be? What could she get away with? </p><p> </p><p>A little ways away from the owl house, they’ve found a clearing of grass. It’s encircled by thick, tall trees, leaving a clear view of the sky, perfect for tonight’s star shower. Amity catches herself, many times, watching Luz. She never seemed to notice. </p><p> </p><p>“<em> You know… </em>when there’s a shooting star, you’re supposed to make a wish.” Luz says playfully, smirking at Amity. “I bet I know what you’d wish for.” </p><p> </p><p>Amity’s heart skips and she feels her face flush but she keeps her resolve. “Oh yeah? What?” </p><p> </p><p>“You’d wish for the ending of <em> Good Witch Azura </em> volume ten to end a <em> tinsy </em>bit more romantically,” Luz practically sings, leaning over to hit her shoulder against the flushed green haired witch. Amity’s shoulders drop, releasing a bit of tension she hadn’t realized she had there. This was just playing, she wasn’t serious. This wasn’t what Amity thought it was. She’d be crazy if she thought Luz was flirting with her. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe,” she hums, just to give Luz the satisfaction. Just to see that smile on her face- the one that seemed like it was just for her. Amity turns, leaning back on her hands, the soft grass pricking through her fingers. She looks up at the sunset painted sky, sneaking a glance at the girl beside her with, if you asked her, exquisite discreteness. </p><p> </p><p>“There’s another kind of wish,” Luz says, almost quietly. Like it’s a secret. “But… I’ll never get to do it.” </p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” Amity asks, breathless. </p><p> </p><p>“Couple’s wish,” she giggles, almost wistful. “It’s really cheesy but I <em> love </em>it.” </p><p> </p><p>Amity’s breath hitches in her throat. In a moment of desperation, before she can even think about what she’s saying, she blurts out, “We could do it. A couple's wish. Together. If you want.”</p><p> </p><p>Luz pauses. “But… we aren’t a couple.” </p><p> </p><p><em> Oh, </em> an alien emotion bubbles up inside her. It really is what she thought it was. But how can she complain when the view from this side is a sweet, sweet one sided love?</p><p> </p><p>Amity’s heart does a backflip, ten triple quadruple cartwheels in her chest. <em> Crap! What do I do? What do I say? </em>She slips her hand across the grass in a burst of confidence, placing it on top of Luz’s. The girl looks up to meet Amity’s nervous gaze. “Just for tonight, we could be. Just so we can see what it’s like.” </p><p> </p><p>Luz seems to think it over for a moment but her eyes are sparkling, Amity’s heart soaring. “Alright!”</p><p> </p><p>The young witch turns her attention back up to the sky, to distract herself. It’s getting darker. </p><p> </p><p><em> She’s never going to get it, </em> Amity thinks. <em> It doesn’t </em><em>matter what I say or do. </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Maybe she doesn’t even like me. Maybe this is a hassle for her. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She’s still holding hands with Luz. Her chest hurts with how fast her heart’s beating. She’s red faced and sweaty and losing her marbles and Luz is still cool, not bothered or disturbed in the <em> slightest </em>about what Amity’s just proposed, what she’s just implied. It’s one sided. </p><p> </p><p>It finally gets completely dark and the star shower starts, right in the middle of the board game they’d started to preoccupy themselves. It was immediately abandoned however, Luz gasps with wonder as she looks up to the sky. Her eyes are sparkling and Amity can’t help but stare. </p><p> </p><p>The young human giggles and lays down flat in the grass. She tugs playfully on the sleeve of Amity’s dress and in her flustered panic, she realizes that she’s asking her to join her. Amity nervously lays back, still watching Luz. She really couldn’t care less about the stars. </p><p> </p><p>Luz looks her right in the eyes.  “Ready?” </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Amity blinks, embarrassed to have been caught in her not so subtle staring. “F-for what?” </p><p> </p><p>“Our couples wish,” she nudges her shoulder gently. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Right.” Amity takes a deep breath to regain her composure. “Yes, let's do it.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okey dokey. On three,” she reaches for Amity’s hand and their fingers intertwined again like it was already meant to be. “<em> One… two...three…” </em></p><p> </p><p>As thousands of stars streak across the inky black sky, Amity shut her eyes tight and wishes, <em> I hope this night never ends.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Luz calmly opens her eyes after a moment, beaming at Amity. The green haired witch weakly smiles back. “What did you wish for?” She dares to ask, her voice cracking. </p><p> </p><p>“You can’t say what you wished for, or it won’t come true,” Luz says. </p><p> </p><p><em> Wow, </em> Amity bites her lip, lest she say anything she regrets. And as her hair rustles gently with the wind, a slight tinge to her face, Amity thinks, not for the first time, <em> I could kiss her right now.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But it could never be real.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Or so she tells herself. But how can she complain? </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luz shows Amity her new trick.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I can do at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>twenty </span>
  </em>
  <span>at a time,” Luz says excitedly. They’re sitting outside the owl house again because, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>That was fun! We should hang out again sometime!’ </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Amity asks even though she’s not very surprised. It’s just how happy she looks that makes her ask, how eager she is to show off her new skill. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Be right back!” Luz so much as warns before she takes off into the house with a clear vision. This gives Amity, what, five seconds to regain her composure before she’s back out with two fist fills of small papers. She holds them out like a deck of cards and Amity sees that they’re light glyphs upon further inspection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity nods, speechless. Then Luz tosses them up, all around her and they fall down like confetti. Many light glyphs scatter the grass and Amity watches from her spot on the floor as Luz jumps around, tapping them with her foot. Immediately, small orbs of light float up, illuminating the dark night. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz has her arms behind her back as she taps each one, then she twirls around to jump on two at a time, like a game of hopscotch. She whirls around to face Amity, a smile on her face. “Come on!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-oh! Right,” Amity stands up, making her way to step on a glyph that had blown away with the wind. She wants to stay as far away as possible. When she turns around, there’s a frenzy of light around Luz as she spins around, her eyes closed. Amity’s face heats up as she slowly walks over to the human. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz’s eyes pop open and she giggles. “Cool, right?” She steps closer and Amity almost flinches. Luz extends her hand out and Amity stares at it for a moment. But she doesn’t hesitate to take it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz takes Amity’s other hand, so she’s holding both. She pulls the young witch into a spin. It starts out slow but as they find their footing, it speeds up and soon, all Amity can see is a blur of lights and Luz’s laughing face as they spin round and round. Amity even laughs a little herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thinks about how she always gets herself into these situations, the ones that only leave her feeling more empty at the end of the day. How she wants to take Luz’s blushing face into her hands and kiss her. She feels so warm with nerves. Then she realizes she’s really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cute. Like, insanely cute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two break apart, Luz laughs, a hand on her head. “Dizzy!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Amity realizes she’s also really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>dizzy, too. She stumbles, trying to keep her balance as the world seems to tilt under her with each step. She backs into Luz, her back colliding into her chest. Luz squeaks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Sorry!” Amity stutters, whirling around to face Luz but it only aggravates her dizziness further. Luz takes her hands again to steady her and Amity can finally see her face coming into view again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry about that,” she laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay.” Amity says and they both stay quiet. They stand under hundreds of light spells, the light glowing on Luz’s tan complexion. Amity blinks. She’s staring again. Flustered, Amity tilts her head back, pretending to look at the lights. Luz looks up too. Amity thinks she’s out of the clear so she glances back down to find Luz staring at </span>
  <em>
    <span>her. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Amity asks quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz gives her a small lopsided smile and says, “Nothing. You look pretty.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Thank you.” Amity stammers, stumbles back. She plays it off by bending over to pick up a stray light glyph and pretends to examine it. She tries to pretend that </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t just happen. “So… drawings, huh?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz taps it and it illuminates. It’s warm in Amity’s palms and she has to squint her eyes a bit because it’s so bright. “Yep.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clever.” Amity says, smirking. Putting on her brave face. But she can’t help the sad feeling that blossoms up in her stomach when she reminds herself of her dilemma. She lifts her hands to raise the glowing orb. “But, it’s still lame.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz’s jaw drops. “What are you talking about? This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>know that a baby could do a light spell, right?” Amity picks up another glyph and draws a circle of magic. The paper burns up, dropping to the dirt in a pile of ashes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz whimpers, crossing her arms playfully. “Then I guess we’re both babies.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity bites back the grin that threatens her little act. “Nah.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then show me a </span>
  <em>
    <span>better </span>
  </em>
  <span>light spell.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity hums because- there are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> many more advanced light spells. But she wants to impress Luz, so she draws a slightly bigger circle with a new symbol Luz has never seen before. In a flash, it shoots into the sky, Luz’s head whipping back to follow it- it bursts in the sky, red sparkles glittering across the dark sky with a loud</span>
  <em>
    <span> boom!</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz’s jaw drops once again, her eyes sparkling. Amity stares as an embarrassed blush blooms on her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Magic.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She whispers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re magic. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>⚾️ 💥 😳</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Willow smiles knowingly to herself, nodding in utter disbelief. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Unbelievable</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She watches the scene closely from the bleachers. The sun was setting and the gang had gathered in the grudgeby field to play- baseball, of all things, as per Luz’s request. Neither of the witches knew what it was at first, but Luz had explained it and it seemed easy enough (although she seemed like she didn’t quite understand the rules herself) Gus was eager to try something new from the human world and Willow, well. Amity and Luz in the same vicinity? She was just here for the ride. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As she shuffled into her sneakers, she watched as Amity rode out her one hundred and tenth panic attack that day. At least this one was validated by the fact that Luz was pressed up behind her, arms wrapped around the red faced witch as she showed her the proper way to swing the bat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was kind of ridiculous now, how Luz hadn’t noticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity whimpered, loudly. “Like this?” She takes her bat for another swing and Luz grimaces behind her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not...exactly.” She said, trying to stifle a laugh. She moves back up against Amity to demonstrate once more. “Here, let me show you again,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“O-oh. Okay.” Amity immediately flushes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gus stands awkwardly nearby the two girls, his bat slung over his shoulder as he watches in disbelief. He deadpans, glancing up to Willow up on the bleachers, she’s got her hands clasped over her mouth. “You’re just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little bit </span>
  </em>
  <span>tense, Amity,” Luz says. “Loosen up!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I‘m </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity shoots back in a clipped voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Willow ties up her shoelaces and decides it’s time to swoop in and save the poor girl. She rushes down the bleachers, picking up her bat on a bench she’d left it sitting on. “Alrighty Luz,” she says cheerfully and it startles Amity, Luz pulls away. “I think Amity’s got the hang of it by now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh…” Luz hesitates. “She’s got the stance right, at least,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Amity scoffs, wiping sweat from her forehead. Gus steps forward and holds his bat out like a sword. “Now who’s ready to </span><em><span>play</span></em> <em><span>ball</span></em><span>?” He pauses, looking to Luz for approval. “Did I do it right?” </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nailed it,” she giggles and crosses her bat with his to make an X. The two start an impromptu sword fight and Willow glances to catch Amity’s wistful smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, how </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>are we supposed to play baseball here?” Willow asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am so glad you asked that question, Willow.” Luz says cheerfully. She seems to be looking around for something when she spots a twig lying around on the field. “Perfect!” She takes it, crouching to the ground and she begins walking backwards, dragging the stick in the dirt. Everyone watches in confusion until Luz has formed a giant square in the center of the field. She stands up, tossing the stick away and dusting off her hands. “And now we’ve got a perfectly functioning baseball field,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gus claps with delight and Willow laughs. “Okay everyone! Take places!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a short discussion, the players are decided upon: Gus is the pitcher (he insisted) Willow is the catcher, Amity the first baseman and Luz is second baseman. There’s obviously not enough of them to play a remotely normal game, so they just make up their own rules as they go. First, Gus pitches the ball and Amity fails miserably and misses. Willow jogs to retrieve it and returns out of breath. Luz offers for them to take a break but Willow declines because, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>it’s good cardio,’</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So, Gus pitches again, admittedly a bit softer because he feels bad and he knows Amity is trying to impress Luz but she also really doesn’t understand the game that much. By some miracle, Amity just slightly hits the ball but it slips and Willow ends up catching it behind her. Amity deadpans and Luz giggles. “Keep trying, Ami!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Gus pitches for the third time and Amity finally does it. The ball hits her bat head on and it goes flying to the other end of the field engulfed in fiery flames and Willow groans, her legs already burning at the thought of it. But Amity cheers, tossing her bat down and starts her run around the base. It was a struggle and she was finally regretting deciding to wear this long skirt but it didn’t matter now. She was finally going to have the upper hand on something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz is on the other side and she panics, dropping her bat to run after her. Amity cheers excitedly as Luz catches up to her. She feels so in control for the first time in a while and she thinks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>come and get me! </span>
  </em>
  <span>She’s on top of the world as she runs along the lines of their makeshift baseball field and she’s almost made it to second base when Luz tackles her down, pulling her in so that when they fall, Amity rolls on top of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that’s when Amity finds herself in </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> situation. The dust settles and she blinks. She’s vaguely aware that there’s a problem. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s on top of Luz is the problem. Her hands planted on either side of Luz’s head is the only thing keeping her from collapsing and keeping- who knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>what- </span>
  </em>
  <span>from happening. She immediately flushes, her lungs burning for air as she pants against Luz. She’s also out of breath and Amity thinks she’s going crazy when she sees the faintest hint of crimson rise to her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seconds tick by like hours as they stare at each other, unblinking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity shrieks, pushes herself off and scrambles up to her feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Willow and Gus exchange looks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz sits up, wide eyed. “That. Was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” She cheers, jumps back up to her feet and she pulls Amity in for a tight hug. The human is giggling like a maniac and Amity slouches, melting under her and she can’t help but laugh too. Willow lets out an awkward kind of chuckle and she swears the way Amity leans in against Luz, she looks relieved somehow, about something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Amity doesn’t remember much of the day after that because she actively tries to forget about it. There’s no point in dwelling on it, letting it give her hope if it didn’t matter; didn’t mean anything. After the game, they all head to the owl house and Amity relaxes on the couch as Willow, Gus and Luz sit on the floor around the table, playing some kind of card game. Amity’s trying to keep it under control, idly sipping an apple blood box when she catches Luz looking. She blinks, turning red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you don’t wanna play, Amity?” She asks. Willow glances between the two of them with a knowing smirk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity hums. “I’m sure.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A power outage happens during Good Witch Azura bookclub night and Luz helps Amity face her fear of the dark.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Azura chuckles darkly, wiping sweat out of her burning eyes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is that the best you’ve got?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She lifts her staff and a magical beam blazes—‘’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity blinks because she’s suddenly in darkness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Did she pass out? She isn’t sitting </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> close to Luz and she hasn't had any panic attacks yet. She was doing good and she was actually having a lot of fun this time. It wasn’t nearly as awkward as last time. Amity made sure to sit as far away from her as possible (without rousing any suspicion)—but she had to make sure what happened </span>
  <em>
    <span>last time </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t happen again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Again</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Luz sighs. Amity jumps because for a moment she thinks she said that out loud- but then she hears her shuffle to her feet and she opens the door. It’s pitch dark in the living room as well. “Power outage.” She declares right away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eda comes up the stairs in her pajamas with a candle.“That’s odd. It’s the third time this week.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably another acid rain storm coming on,” Luz says. She shuffles some more in the dark and suddenly the room is filled with a bright glow. Light spell. Amity blushes at the sight of it- the memories she has directly linked with </span>
  <em>
    <span>those </span>
  </em>
  <span>make her feel warm inside. “It’s alright, it’ll be back up before we know it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eda sighs from the doorway. “Well, if we’re lucky it’ll be by tomorrow,” she turns to leave but pauses. “Just holler if you kids need anything. I’ll be in my room trying to figure out why my foot keeps coming off…” then as an afterthought, she adds, “Old people problems, am I right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity laughs just to be polite but Luz thinks it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>funny. Then after Eda leaves, she says, “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> looking forward to </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>and this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>funny to Amity for some reason. Luz sits back down and it’s quiet for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… this has happened before?” Amity asks anxiously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep. A lot more this month. I guess power isn’t that great this side of the Boiling Isles this time of year,” she laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I...I can walk you back home if you want. I’m sure power is better on your side of town anyways.” Luz says almost sadly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Amity pauses. “I mean, no thank you. I want to stay here.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gulp. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“With you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz seems to freeze on that last part. Amity promises herself that it was only in her imagination but- she scoots herself closer to the green haired witch and she begins to panic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. What’s she doing? What- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got an idea,” she says with an ominous lilt and Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>panics. “...We should tell spooky stories...” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity feels... relieved? ...Disappointed? She’s not sure what exactly she was expecting. “In the dark!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last thing she sees is Luz’s devious grin before she deactivates the light spell and the room goes completely dark again. Amity yelps and all but launches herself onto Luz- and she loses her balance and somehow she finds herself on top of her once again, just like on the grudgeby field a while ago. But Amity was too scared to even be able to freak out over it. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>dark. “Amity! What’s wrong?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-nothing!” Amity squeezes tighter around her waist, burying her head against her, just trying to get away from the darkness but she was surrounded by it- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz hesitantly moves to pat her back soothingly and it’s really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>soft and it makes Amity’s insides tingle. She smiles a secret smile, only for herself and just for a little bit, she lets herself imagine—! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then it </span>
  <em>
    <span>stops</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Luz smiles to herself knowingly. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ohhhh.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s figured it out already and it’s only been what- two seconds? “Whatever you’re thinking, </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>think it because it’s not—“ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Amity?” Luz inquires innocently. “Are you...</span>
  <em>
    <span>afraid </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the dark?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well. Since you’re asking, yes. Deathly afraid.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>What?” Amity pulls herself off and backs away. “No. I’m not.” She laughs awkwardly. “That’s ridiculous,”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She really wishes she was still in her arms, warm and safe. She can feel the darkness enveloping her as she gets farther and farther away. She starts to hyperventilate. Luz sits up quickly and Amity feels rather than sees the accusing finger being pointed at her. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span> you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something brushes past her arm and Amity lets out a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>eep </span>
  </em>
  <span>sound. She squeaks when her back collides against the wall. “Ugh! Fine. Yes, I am. Can we hug again?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pointedly ignores the last part and giggles to herself. She says, “I can’t believe it.” as if she’s uncovered some great secret. “Amity Blight is afraid of the dark!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity reddens. She feels utterly embarrassed. “You can’t tell this to </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she stammers. “If you do, I’ll-“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t, I won’t.” Luz crawls closer and activates another light spell. Amity blinks as her eyes adjust to the brightness. She looks around and realizes it was just Luz’s multicolored school uniform hanging from a rack that brushed against her. She sighs in relief as the human sits against the wall next to her. “...I used to be afraid of the dark too when I was younger.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity tried to imagine that. Baby Luz shivering in the darkness, all by herself. She can’t really picture her being afraid of anything. “The only way to get over it is if you face it head on.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity’s eyes meet hers and Luz smiles, holding out her hand. “So… I’ll be your fearless champion and stay with you until you aren’t scared anymore,” she says. “Do you trust me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It drives her wild.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity feels her chest tightening as her heart kicks into overdrive. She isn’t currently able to form actual words, but she manages a jerky nod and places her hand gently in hers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, Luz crushes the glowing orb in her hand and the room flickers into a hallowing darkness once again. Amity squeezes her hand tighter and Luz laughs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no- </span>
  </em>
  <span>Amity screams internally as Luz’s head falls to her shoulder. She sits, frozen with wide eyes. They’re both quiet for a moment, then Luz gently asks, “How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity sucks in a deep breath and Luz somehow manages not to notice. Or maybe she did but can’t be bothered to ask why. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Scared.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz hums observantly. They sit together in a (mostly) companionable silence and as Amity simmers in her own sweat, she thinks she’s going to tell her. She thinks she’s going to say something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The seconds fade into hours and she thinks she’s finally worked up the nerve. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she starts quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then she hears a soft snore from her fearless champion and begrudgingly decides, </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe another time. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She gently pets her head, soft hair brushing her fingertips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she says to Luz in her head. Amity sighs, releases a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and lets her head fall back against the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s futile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How can she complain when things are </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> fine, just like this?</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amity doesn’t follow through this time, either.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amity doesn’t know how things are going to be later today. She doesn’t know if she can even hide it anymore— her feelings that is. It’s been far too long, the seasons are a sign. She thinks about </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing it but then Luz pulls her along excitedly, deeper into the snow and she’s dead set on her decision that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>has </span>
  </em>
  <span>to tell her now. She’s going crazy keeping it inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right now, they’re just two best friends. Amity lets it stay like that for a little while longer. If it goes wrong and Luz hates her, at least she’d have these memories to look back on, her beaming face as she gushes over something as mundane as the snow. Amity is more uncertain than anything tonight but there’s one thing for sure and that’s the fact that she loves her some more every day, so much that it’s hurting her to not be able to hold her close and tell her exactly how she feels when she’s around her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But is there really anything she can do about it as she’s standing there, bundled up in her puffy jacket and snow hat, her cheeks rosy pink from the cold? Amity’s also a little red in the face, but for a different reason that Luz will never know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think we could build a pretty decent snowman here,” Luz says, examining the area around them with her hands on her hips. Then she looks at Amity and she’s been caught staring, just like she has so many times before and it’s a wonder as to how Luz hasn’t said anything about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s a snowman?” Amity stammers, trying to play it cool even though she’s pretty cold as it is. Somehow, it isn’t bothering her as much as she thought it would. Perhaps it’s how warm and tingly her face feels right now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Amity,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>her eyes widened. “You’ve never built a snowman before?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz gasps. She dramatically drops to her knees in front of Amity, offering her hand like a noble knight. “Amity Blight, please allow me to assist you in your endeavors to create your first ever </span>
  <em>
    <span>snowman</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she lasts exactly three seconds before she bursts into a fit of laughter. Amity, on the other hand, is freaking out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She vaguely remembers thinking, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait, okay, what-</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity blinks, shaking her head to snap herself out of it. “Sure.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And Luz wasted no time with getting started. First, she gathered a small pile of snow and Amity was confused at first. But it gradually became bigger as she pushed it around in the snow and soon it was a decent size. Next, she told Amity to try it out. Well, the keyword was </span>
  <em>
    <span>try. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She wasn’t very good at it but Luz still cheered her on and told her, “It’s perfect! You really are good at everything, Ami!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she could clearly tell it wasn’t. Amity picked up her snow-rhombus and placed it on top of Luz’s perfectly smooth, rounded snowball. It was starting to look more like a snow</span>
  <em>
    <span> monster. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz offers to do the final, smaller snowball to finish it off and it turns out quite well despite its imperfections. It’s because they built it together, Amity guesses. Luz is really excited about it and Amity for the life of her can’t figure out the big deal. But if it makes her happy, that’s all the reason she needs. Just to see that smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once again, Amity is caught staring and Luz giggles, comes over and cups Amity’s face with her gloved hands, beaming.“You look </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>cute!” Amity leans her head in, probably enjoying the touch more than she should have. But it’s warm and assuring and she needs that right now. She makes a mental note to never forget this moment— and she thinks about how she’s seen her in all the seasons. Cuddling close in fall, picking flowers in spring. Sitting in front of the house as the cool summer breeze rushes past. But now it’s winter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s snowing and Luz said that they should have a snowball fight together. Amity agreed because she wants nothing more— she’d do anything with her, she’d follow her anywhere. The snowball fight only lasts a short while before the two begin with snow angels. They’re lying in the snow, Amity is watching Luz when a snowflake lands on her nose. Her eyes flutter open in surprise. She giggles and quickly wipes it away but Amity kind of liked it there. It somehow made her even prettier. She didn’t know that was possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> And that’s when Amity realizes she’s very cold. She can feel her hands going numb, even under her mittens and she’s ready to go back inside and play a board game. But Luz has other plans. And if Luz was there then she would stay just a little bit longer. They stand up to examine their snow angels. Luz’s actually did sort of resemble something of the sort, but Amity’s… hers was unfinished. Probably because she got just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> distracted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not bad,” Luz says as she steps over to see Amity’s deformed snow-something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A foreign feeling brews inside of her and suddenly she feels playful. She shoves Luz back and she stumbles. “Hey! What was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>for?!” She asks, lunging herself toward Amity. She exquisitely dodges her with a quick sidestep and Luz faceplants into the snow. She lay motionless for a moment and Amity panics for a split second. But it’s not long before she pulls her head up, laughing. She’s got snow all in her eyelashes and on her face. Amity stands over her and they just look at each other for a moment, completely transfixed in the moment. Amity crouches down and flicks Luz on the forehead. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>was for lying to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The young witch offers her hand and pulls Luz up. They stand there, giddy in the snow. Luz is smiling about something but Amity is smiling about her. This moment is so magical— she doesn’t know how she ended up here with </span>
  <em>
    <span>her. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She feels the cold biting away at her toes but a warmness curls up inside her. It’s different somehow. This has been happening a lot lately. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity’s heart is full of this weirdly affectionate feeling and she feels like she could just lean in and kiss her </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>In the snow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>right now</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it probably wouldn’t matter. It’d be perfect and cool. But she can’t. So in place of that, she reaches up and uses her gloved hand to wipe her face off, brushing away the snow. Her face turns the faintest hint of red and she looks away. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>embarrassed. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Luz clears her throat awkwardly and it completely takes them both out of it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remember the first time we were in the snow together?” She asks suddenly. Amity nods. “I almost got everyone killed and you trapped me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity bites back a laugh. She remembers that day so clearly. Luz had stolen her wand and tried to use it for a spell. “That was the day I learned the ice glyph,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gasps with a sudden realization, her eyes bright with an idea. She pulls away and Amity is cold again, saddened by the distance between them. She watches as Luz traces the glyph around her in the snow. She steps in the circle and kneels to gently tap it with her hand. Suddenly, a chunk of ice erodes from beneath the snow and they begin to lift up and up. Soon they’ve got a full view over the house and the forest of trees all around. In the distance, there’s hints of a city, lights scattered around in clusters. The moon is full and the sky is pitch dark, but toward the city, it’s still a faded pastel color as the sun still sets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pulls Amity closer when she visibly struggles to keep her balance as the ice beam rises higher. “You told me I would end up in the baby’s class if I didn’t know at least three spells— and I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>want that.” Amity’s heart jumps to her throat. “All I wanted to do was impress you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity takes a shuddering breath and she’s not sure if it’s because she’s freezing cold or if it’s from something else. “You do. Everyday.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz smiles warmly. “Thank you, Ami. That means a lot.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The beam comes to a stop and when Amity peers over the edge, she gets a little light headed from the mere height of it. She hadn’t realized they were so high up. She slowly steps back, careful not to slip and she buries her face back in Luz’s neck. “Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>scared</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” She asks teasingly but hugs her closer. For a moment, Amity thinks about putting up a fight over it, just to get things back to normal, back to their usual easy way that they have. But honestly, she kind of likes it like this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” She says simply. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” she laughs. “I’m your fearless champion, remember?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It won’t ever be like this anymore if she tells her. Amity pulls away and she seems lost in thought when Luz sees her. Her smile slowly fades. “Is... everything okay?” She asks just barely above a whisper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Amity chews her lip anxiously and she‘s quick to rephrase when she sees Luz’s worried expression. “Well, actually...there’s something I wanna tell you.” She smiles gently, her hand coming down to gently rest on Luz’s chest. She feels like she’s on top of the world from up here, she could say anything. Her heart is going a mile a minute, thinking of all the ways she could say this. She’s been over this </span>
  <em>
    <span>so many </span>
  </em>
  <span>times in her head and suddenly she’s at a loss for words. She could say </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which is exactly why she doesn’t. This isn’t what she’s been wanting to tell her for so long, but it’s the right thing. She sighs, looking up at her. “I’m glad I have a friend like you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz looks relieved and she smiles. “Me too.” </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Later, in the warmth of the owl house from her spot on the couch, she gazes out the window, a warm cup of tea in her hands. The snow falls at a steady pace. Luz is pressed up against the window with King by her side and they gawk at the sea of white covering the ground outside. “I’ve never seen so much snow in my </span>
  <em>
    <span>life!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She says. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity smiles to herself. It’s nice sitting here, just watching her from afar. It’s easier, peaceful almost. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe next time. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amity, Luz and Willow play grudgeby.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The grudgeby field. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity told herself she’d never come back here, especially after what happened on that warm autumn evening a while ago. She doesn’t know what convinced her to come back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Actually, yes. She does. And she’s standing right beside her, a bundle of excited energy just ready to burst. Luz jogs in place as Willow sweats beside her. Across from them are Boscha and her team. She’s here and she’s here to win, even though this is just a friendly grudgeby match, Luz is somehow convinced they’d win again. Even though they hadn’t particularly </span>
  <em>
    <span>won </span>
  </em>
  <span>the last time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Amity did. And she was trying hard to convince herself that she did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a thing for sports gear Luz, even as she pulled up her high socks. Even as she wiped sweat off her forehead. Even though she totally did. She tried to stay focused as she tackled Boscha while Willow ran to make a scoring goal, tried to keep it under control as she worked up a sweat. Tried to stay distracted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it really wasn’t working. And Amity didn’t function well under pressure, despite being constantly put on a high pedestal, idolized for simply being a Blight. She has to keep her balance on this tight rope or else she’ll fall and buckle under the weight of everything and everyone and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> let that happen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she tried harder, even though this was only a friendly grudgeby match for </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She had to prove something. She had to prove that she had this in her because if she didn’t, then what else is she good for besides having a world renowned last name? What would she be known for beside being Amity? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t really helping much either way. She couldn’t, but it wasn’t her fault. It was Luz’s, for being so fun to look at all the time. Gus had blown the whistle, everyone stopping for a timeout. Luz climbed up the bleachers where there was a cooler full of water and snacks. Amity watched Luz as she greedily downed a bottle of water, tossing it to the side (much to Gus’s dismay) a determined glint in her eye. “We’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally </span>
  </em>
  <span>got this!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Luz. We’re five to one.” Willow deadpans. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz winces, turning to check the scoreboard. She pouts. “Dang it. I thought we were ahead of them!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We just need a game plan,” Amity says confidently, even though she’s everything but. Luz is determined again, happy someone’s taking the reigns now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright! Great idea, Amity,” she slaps her on the back in a companionable way, albeit a little harder than she intended and Amity nearly stumbles. “What did you have in mind?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It goes quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Um,” she stammers because she didn’t think she'd get this far. Willow raises an eyebrow, challenging her. She glances to Luz who’s looking at her so intensely. She’s got to come up with this great plan or else! “We need some kind of distraction, to catch them off guard,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Buckling under the weight of expectations. She always finds herself like this. Apparently, Amity is a genius, judging by the sparkle in Luz’s eyes. That’s all she needs to keep her balance. “Plant magic? I could wait near the hoop and catch the ball if it doesn’t make it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t that be cheating?” Luz asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing’s off limits for grudgeby,” Willow shrugs. “It could work.”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Genius. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Well, maybe it’s a plan bound to fail but at least Luz seems thoroughly impressed. “Okay then. It’s settled.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They freshen up and back to the field it is. The two teams are standing face to face, Gus waits to blow the whistle. “By the way, we heard your nerdy-nerd plan. It’s not gonna work.” Boscha says with a smirk on her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes it will! And we’re gonna prove it! Right guys?!” Luz cheers. Amity and Willow stay quiet and Boscha laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nope</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Boscha says, popping the ‘p’ and sticks out her tongue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? Well- you’re not going to win… either!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity facepalms and Willow groans beside her. Gus nods his head slowly. “You really gotta step up your trash talking game, Luz,” he says and Luz whines. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just start the stupid game!” Boscha screams and Gus hurriedly blows the whistle. The chaos starts right away, everyone’s after Amity. But they’ve got a plan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Willow jumps and fights for the ball. One of Boscha’s teammates has it and they’re really giving poor Willow a hard time. Meanwhile, Amity’s trying to get over there to help her out and possibly get everyone else off her back. Willow uses plant magic to trip Boscha and she is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy to fall for the same trick twice. She lunges at Willow but she thankfully jumps away right on time, dropping the ball in which Amity catches. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, step one, check. It takes her a moment to remember step two but it comes right on time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Run. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Boscha growls from under Willow, who’s got her tackled to the ground. Suppressing a laugh, she starts to make a run for it to the opposite side of the field to score that one redeeming goal, the one that will impress Luz. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait, where is Luz? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity is stopped dead in her tracks by one of Boscha’s teammates. She really doesn’t want to get another broken leg or other limb so she backs away, kindly offering the ball up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Crap! What do I do now- </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before the girl can take it, Luz jumps in between them and she pushes her out of the way. “I got this,” she winks at Amity and she almost forgets how to breathe for a moment, let alone score a goal. She blinks and gathers her resolve. She’s got to do this. She gives Luz an appreciative nod and runs to the golden prize. She’s going, she’s so close and she can almost feel it, the victory in her hands. It’s warm and feels like Luz’s hand.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity is almost there but all of a sudden she trips and the ball goes flying. She looks up and there Boscha is, twirling the ball on her finger. She’s so perfect and calculated. Amity thought she had a plan but Boscha </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>has a plan. For every step she’s two steps ahead. “Where are you going, grudgeby champ?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity groans and scrambles to her feet. She waits a moment to try and catch her off guard and take the ball but of course Boscha is not an idiot and Amity knows that. She takes the ball into her arms. “What? Do you want </span>
  <em>
    <span>this?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She looks down at it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Boscha, please,” she jumps up to reach it but Boscha snatches it away. “I need it!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why? Why do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>care about this so much all of a sudden?” She raises an eyebrow, daring her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity almost slips up but she bites her tongue, trying to take the ball but to no avail. Boscha lets her struggle for a little while longer before she tosses the ball back over her head, the seconds seem to slow as it flies across the field and lands in the hands of one of her teammates. She was so close to the goal already.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smirks and runs off to aid her team. Luz and Willow are somewhere in the chaos but Amity decides to stay right where she was. She waits and waits and she starts to feel bad and she should probably go over there and help them out but no- she has a plan! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Willow gets a hold of the ball, holding it up over the crowd. Amity springs to action and summons her abomination, it’s massive purple arm bursting through the field and it catches the ball after Willow tosses it as a last ditch effort. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes. This is why you have a plan! This is why</span>
  </em>
  <span>- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her abomination throws the ball across the field back to Amity, as per her request and she’s not sure why she was caught off guard. But now everyone is making their way towards Amity and she panics. Willow and Luz follow behind, stumbling and gasping for air but the Banshees are only getting started, not a drop of sweat from them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now Amity doesn’t know what she’s going to do. She’s far too close to the hoop to even dream of making a goal and if she runs back she will meet her inevitable fate of losing the ball again. Luz and Willow are far too behind to even try and distract them so Amity does all she can think of. She has to climb up there and drop the ball in. But she can’t exactly do that with a ball in her hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she decides to just go with it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She jumps up and wraps her legs around the pole, using her free arm to try and hold herself up. She’s not really climbing, it’s more like pushing herself up there with sheer force and a ball in her hand. She slips down many times and she feels dizzy with exhaustion but she keeps going anyway because she has to prove she can win at something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She eventually gets up there with Boscha trailing close behind her, trying to grab at her feet and pull her down but she makes it anyway. With the last bit of her energy, she reaches over and rolls the ball into the hoop. It tumbles around the ring as everyone watches in a deafening silence. And it falls through. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity sighs in relief, hanging onto the pole with both of her hands and clinging to it for dear life. She’s so high up. She watches as Luz jumps around excitedly and Willow is hunched over trying to catch her breath. Boscha groans and slips down the pole, walking over to her sulking team. “Fine. You win! Happy?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>So </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy.” Luz grins at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Boscha scoffs, storming off to exit the field.“Come on girls.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was really fun, by the way,” one of them says quietly to Willow and Luz.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! That was totally awesome when you—“</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said </span>
  <em>
    <span>come on!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Boscha’s voice warns. They run to catch up to her and Amity can’t help but laugh a little at how intimidating Boscha thinks she is. She can’t believe they used to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then she realizes she’s still up here. She lets out a little squeak, her vision turning blurry as she looks down at the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you need help?” Willow calls up to her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity looks down again, immediately shutting her eyes. She nods. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never fear!” Luz says, “I’ll help you get down from there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um. How?” Amity calls back down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just slide down and I’ll catch you if you fall!” She smiles, giving her an encouraging thumbs up. Amity glances over to Willow and sees that curious smirk on her face again. She crosses her arms, thoroughly entertained by this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity lets out a shaky breath. “Okay. Coming!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity slides down a bit and the pole squeaks under her. It’s dead silent and she feels really embarrassed now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Squeak. Squeaaaak. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Almost there!” Luz says cheerfully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity wants this to be over as quick as possible. So she takes a deep breath and slides down all the way, Luz’s hand steadying her as she lands and tries to stand up. But she stumbles. It’s a good thing Luz is there to catch her though or else she would’ve fallen— wait! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Thank you,” she pushes herself off, biting back a nervous smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem,” Luz chirps back. She holds up her hand and it takes a moment for it to process in Amity’s mind that she’s doing that thing. She wants a high five. She wouldn’t be caught </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing one of those but for Luz, maybe once or twice wouldn’t hurt. Luz giggles and Amity’s hand stings from the impact and she walks back exactly three steps before she trips and falls on her butt. “Amity! Are you okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity doesn’t reply and instead lays flat in the dirt, letting the exhaustion fully take over her body. Willow is next to plop down next to her and then Luz is last. They all lay there in silence for a moment, staring up at the peaceful sky. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>play grudgeby again?” Luz asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed.” Willow and Amity both say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all hear footsteps approaching but neither of them bother to look up and check. “Alright guys!” Gus says excitedly. “That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>epic!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz opens her eyes. “Thanks!” She gasps when she sees that Gus has three ice cold bottles of water fresh from the cooler. They all sit up and snatch it from him. Amity downs hers in one gulp. “You’re the best,” she sighs after tossing the bottle (much to Gus’s dismay), Gus running after it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please stop throwing stuff!” Gus warns. “It’s not environmentally friendly!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah yeah,” Luz waves her hand dismissively. “But did you see how </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome </span>
  </em>
  <span>we were?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The coolest!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone starts talking and mingling except for Amity. She’s staring at Luz as she does her reenactment of their sprint to victory, Gus’s eyes sparkling and Willow nods in agreement. This was fun and easy. If she even thought about telling Luz how she felt, she’d be crazy. She can’t even believe she came so close to doing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz catches her and she pauses, Amity’s breath hitched in her throat. Her face heats up at Luz’s little grin and gentle hand squeeze. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh wow. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They were holding hands. Amity blinks, shying away just like she always does. Then she realizes this is going to keep happening, these weird little moments between them and it’s never going to stop unless she does something— says something, tells her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she won’t. So she takes what she can get. She lays back, right into Luz’s lap. Amity shivers with delight because her legs are cool and still a bit sticky from sweat. She loves it. Luz freezes with shock for a split second but she just laughs it off and continues talking, resting a hand on Amity’s forehead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ignored again. Amity’s almost relieved- it could stay like this for a while. But she’s so confused. Luz has </span>
  <em>
    <span>got </span>
  </em>
  <span>to know, right? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It doesn’t matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity wants it to stay like this. She can’t complain.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amity fails successfully.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If only romance were as simple as her books made it seem. What if it was that easy just to say hello to that pretty girl, waving at her from across the hallway? Getting closer and closer...what if she could wave back </span>
  <em>
    <span>without </span>
  </em>
  <span>getting red in the face and actually talk to her about something, not be distracted merely by her presence? What if she could walk right up to her and tell her how she really feels, throw up some finger guns and maybe even a wink? She’s had so many chances and she let them slip through her hands like grains of sand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thing was, Luz always stopped to check up on Amity. She always came by her locker with some wacky variation of ‘how are you’, (today it was ‘how’s my favorite girl?’, much to Amity’s dismay) that bright signature smile on her face. She always tries to offer her something, help carrying her books, help with anything at all, and Amity looks at her, the girl who’s already given her so much—headaches included. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s become this big thing in her mind—the more she finds herself thinking about her, swelling and rough around the edges. But Luz really couldn’t be more simple in concept. Sometimes Amity is confused about her feelings. She wonders what did it. It’s probably that pretty smile. Really she’s just...Luz. Her friend. Her fearless champion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And, Amity realizes that Luz asked her a </span>
  <em>
    <span>question. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And she really wants to answer back but instead she just stumbles over her words. There really isn’t anything else she can do but ignore it and keep walking. Surely Luz would understand if she knew why. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s up until late hours of the night thinking, how can I let her know? She wishes she could just </span>
  <em>
    <span>show </span>
  </em>
  <span>her— thinks about how much easier it would be if she was a mind reader. She wishes Luz could hear her thoughts, her desperate eternal screams, see things from her side, see how her heart flutters and how she’s brightly glowing around her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And as she smiles, pulls her along, Amity </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>there’s nothing in the world that can save her now. But still she tries to tread the water, find an island in the middle of the ocean. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not love, you don’t love her, I swear, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she tries to tell herself but she doesn’t believe it for one second. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> if she says it enough, thinks it enough, then </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span>… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>So</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” Luz prompts casually with that mischievous glint in her eyes— Amity already knows she’s in trouble. She’s looking at her like she’s finally figured her out— figured </span>
  <em>
    <span>it </span>
  </em>
  <span>out. Of course immediately upon the slightest glance came Amity’s red face, her racing heart. It was getting kind of ridiculous now. The warm glow of the sunset on her face, her gentle smile. The way she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>looking </span>
  </em>
  <span>at Amity, it all drives her nuts and she wishes...she just wishes…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Amity shoots back innocently, like she hasn’t got a clue and she’s just as oblivious as the girl beside her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stay focused, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she has to remind herself or she’ll forget how to keep walking and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fall</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>think you have a crush on someone!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity’s heart actually feels like it might have exploded. But you’d never guess that from her cool exterior. “Why do you think that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>red,” she looks at her pointedly and as if on cue, Amity helps to prove her point. “And don’t think I never see you with that little smile,” she teases, oblivious as ever, as per usual with Luz. “So tell me who it is!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity thinks for a little while. There’s an easy way out here but she likes to keep Luz on her toes—she knows it’s killing her. This isn’t the first time Luz has asked about this. “Well,” she holds her hands together behind her back, straightening her posture, focuses on her walking pattern- </span>
  <em>
    <span>left right left right. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“There is someone,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz’s eyes widen but in a playful way. Amity can’t help but giggle a little bit. “But I’d never tell</span>
  <em>
    <span> you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity burst out into full on laughter as Luz whines loudly, pouting her lip. “Oh come on!” She begs. “Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> me</span>
  <em>
    <span>?</span>
  </em>
  <span> At least give me a clue! What’s the first letter of his name?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity pauses for a split second at that. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His </span>
  </em>
  <span>name. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh Luz, if only you knew.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She starts to think, maybe she’s the crazy one here— it isn’t such a hard thing to believe that a girl like her could feel like this about a human, let alone a girl one, is it? She feels elated with excitement, feels that rush of how </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>this is and how </span>
  <em>
    <span>doomed </span>
  </em>
  <span>she is, feeling so special to have Luz all to herself, begging her like this. There’s no one in the way, she’s getting so much undivided attention. “Nice try, Noceda,” is all she budges. She wants this to last a little longer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet I could guess,” she says fiercely, like it’s a challenge. Amity’s mind goes blank and she can feel Luz looking at her. She gets the impression that Luz maybe didn’t really care either way who it was. She just liked to see Amity like this. “Is it that one kid who sits alone at lunch? He </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>kinda cute,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity pauses, a wave of jealousy briefly washes over her. She doesn’t have the slightest idea who Luz is even talking about. But she coolly goes along. “Maybe,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm, okay,” she nods, more invigorated than ever. She thinks she’s hot on the tail but the truth is, she’s not even close. “It’s definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> Mattholomule—right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely not,” she quickly confirms. Even if she were into guys— it wouldn’t ever be him. Not in a million years. If Amity weren’t so wound up right now, she’d be able to acknowledge the fact that she can feel herself falling for her, deeper and deeper. It’s a familiar feeling, the warm tingle going up her back makes her shiver. It’s almost like something at the back of her mind is telling her that Luz knows, this was all part of her plan to get Amity to fall for her. Maybe Luz was sent here as a test from the emperor's coven. She hopelessly thinks, looking at her as she ticks off random Hexside student’s names on her fingers, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I failed. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It worked well. Maybe she’s just a fool. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They make it to the library and Amity decides </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get too worked up about how Luz just held the door open for her. It’s a good thing they’re both such good friends, things would be weird otherwise. Being quiet for a moment is such a pain to Luz as they cross the library to Amity’s secret hideout, her eyes begging the next guess of the next guy. She eagerly pulls her by the hand and Amity yearningly trails along, like eating too much of something you know you shouldn’t but you can’t stop. Nothing can save her now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They tumble into the secret room, its warm cozy atmosphere taking them in and a bookshelf swallows them, it was once Amity’s but she’s willing to share it because it’s special just like Luz is. And all of her special things should be in one place, she guesses. Seeing her here makes her heart race even in its mundaneness. “Okay, don’t laugh. Eyeball kid!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both go dead silent before bursting into wheezing laughter. Then Luz suddenly stops but there’s still a playfulness in her eyes. “I don’t even know if that’s a boy or a girl!” She pauses. “Not that I’m-...you know,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity flushes, anxiously rubs her arm. “No, it’s okay,” she takes a deep breath and decides to give Luz one more tiny little hint. “I...like girls too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz goes quiet. Then she blinks, stammering for the right words. “Oh! Well... that’s definitely gonna make it harder for me to guess who it is.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity deadpans. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s an awkward silence between them as they look for a book to read, of course ultimately ending up with some volume of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good Witch Azura. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz plops down on a little beanbag cushion in the corner of the floor and Amity sits far away at her desk. It seems like one hundred hours have passed before Luz </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>says something and Amity sighs in relief. “Wanna take turns reading to each other?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” she quickly agrees because she’d do anything to get things back to normal again. Luz sits on the floor, smiling at Amity and patting the beanbag chair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she just doesn’t get the hint does she? Amity smiles back weakly and moves to sit there— the thing she anticipated would happen </span>
  <em>
    <span>happens,</span>
  </em>
  <span> as if on cue and Luz lays her head back, right in her lap. A blush creeps up her neck as they briefly make eye contact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity is trying to pull herself together under the mask of finding her page when Luz says, “So—...you definitely have a little crush on Azura, right?” She smirks up at her knowingly. Amity all but squeaks and she pouts. Well, she’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Biting down on her lip, Amity nods and Luz lets out a satisfied little giggle. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Knew it.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So now Amity is freaking out about two things at once. It’s fine if she just told Luz the biggest secret of her life, that didn’t change anything. Was she </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>obvious? “So? You always have a crush on the villains. Every single time!” She weakly shoots back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t help it! Villains </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> hot</span>
  <em>
    <span>,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Luz says and Amity tries not to freak out. Actually, she is right about that too. It feels rebellious to feel that way about a character you’re supposed to hate but why do the villains always have the most chemistry with the main character? It’s definitely not an accident. Luz suddenly sits up beside Amity, much to her relief. She looks embarrassed, reaching for Amity’s trembling hand, she says,  “I have to tell you something!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh Titan spare me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>what else could she possibly say that will—“I think I’m like that too...but I’m still trying to figure it out,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y-you mean you like girls?” Amity asks quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz nods. “Do you think I’m weird?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Do you think </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> weird?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Luz says, gently interlaces their fingers. Amity sighs, her chest aching with how fast her heart is beating right now. She has to try and calm herself down or else she’ll explode. Luz starts laughing then Amity realizes how ridiculous all of this is. The stars have aligned perfectly and there really has been no better time for Amity to say what she needs to say. Luz likes girls! Amity is a girl! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You dummy,” she laughs and rests her forehead gently against hers. Then it slips out, all of the ways she thought it’d happen, all the things she thought she’d say scatter with the wind. “You know I love you, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pauses. “You love me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity nods eagerly, their eyes meet and her heart flutters because it’s finally happening. That wasn’t so bad. She should have just told her a long time ago! “More than you could ever know.” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Love you too.” She sighs, relaxing against Amity and she lets out a relieved giggle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It obviously hadn’t clicked yet. What else could it possibly take? What else did she have to say? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity hesitates. She should just leave it like this, it was good enough. She said it. She should have left it at that and went on with the evening, giggling at her cheesy jokes and taking her sweet nothings. But…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No...L-Luz,” She takes Luz’s hand, gently presses it to her face as she watches confusedly. “You always ask me who my crush is, but…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz’s eyes widen as she steadily comes to the realization. Finally. “It’s... you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” She blinks, completely taken aback.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> In the rush of the moment, Amity just loses all sense of self control and she wants to be close to her. They were playing, right? This was a joke and it hardly matters anymore because surely Luz already knew. Her wide eyes, lips parted in shock— she wanted to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>closer</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But that’s weird. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, Luz doesn’t see her like that. Not the way Amity wants her to. That thought makes her crazy but at least Luz can’t tell what she’s thinking. Now Amity doesn’t even know what she herself is thinking, but it doesn’t matter anymore because she’s had it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s had it alright, watching her smile and laugh, it tugs at her heart everyday, every second. It’s beautiful— </span>
  <em>
    <span>she’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> beautiful. A rush of excitement tingles up her arm and she lifts her hand up to hold her face gently. Amity bites her lip at how warm she is— she looks at her lips, the ones that are always smiling— the ones she’s always wanted to kiss. Luz looks panicked now but it’s just in the background to Amity. She’s too far gone to try and stop now. She doesn’t care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And even though she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>she shouldn’t do this— knows that this is completely wrong, she keeps leaning in, closer and closer, just wanting to get closer. Luz goes completely red and she leans backwards to reclaim every inch Amity’s unrightfully stolen. And she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz doesn’t want this but there’s something almost magnetic pulling her in. She feels like a maniac and she knows now that this was definitely going to ruin their friendship, but...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their lips brush and Luz jolts from the feeling of it. Amity leans in all the way, sealing the gap and her fate but it was finally happening. Amity thinks it was completely worth the wait, she's unrightfully earned it. But she knows Luz doesn’t want this. But she doesn’t try to stop her either. A soft, hesitant kiss from Amity prompts Luz to kiss back for a short moment and it is pure bliss. She slips a hand up, fingers combing through her mint hair— it sends a delightful shiver up her spine. She wishes it could be like this forever. It’s not significant in the grand scheme of things but it’s pretty nice right now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz brings her hand up to hold Amity’s face, gently caressing her jaw with more slight kisses. But as soon as it had started, it was over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pulls away and gently says, “Amity…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>For a moment, she wonders, wait, is that a good </span><em><span>Amity </span></em><span>or a </span><em><span>bad Amity</span></em><span>? Judging by</span> <span>the firm hand that gently pushes her back, tears already stinging at her eyes, it’s most definitely not a good one. She knew this yet she still… “I am...</span><em><span>so </span></em><span>sorry,” Amity shakes her head in disbelief. She can’t believe this is happening. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s okay,” Luz seems to be in shock also, she snatches her hand off of Amity and she blinks, her face burning self consciously. “I’m...I…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>sorry,” she repeats, quickly scrambling to her feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It all settles in like a ton of bricks all at once and in one swoop Amity is packing up her bag because she needs to get out of here, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Luz stays frozen on the floor as she watches Amity— she’s trying to speak but she just can’t think for anything right now. “What… just happened?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone forever, you won’t ever have to deal with me anymore—“ she stammers through tears, shoves her books away and pulls the door open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Amity, wait! Please talk to me.” She follows her to the door and pushes it closed again, reaching for Amity’s hand but she snatched it away. Luz looks hurt by that but her voice comes out shaky. “I don’t know what’s going on.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just made a terrible mistake,” She says out loud and it becomes real, confirms it for the both of them. “I ruined our friendship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No you didn’t,” Luz says but neither one of them believe it. Amity whimpers and tries to pull away but she holds her tighter. “Just talk to me. Please?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why did you kiss me back?” Amity asks suddenly. Luz stammers, looking very ashamed. “Because I know you don’t like me that way.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I...wanted to see what it was like. I’m sorry.” She says quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say what?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Say you don’t feel the same about me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luz pauses, like she doesn’t understand. She already knew what this whole thing was about when she got herself into this. She didn’t really have a choice. But for some reason it hurts more than she could have imagined— she’s imagined it a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Luz sighs. “I don’t...feel the same.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity jerks herself away. And it becomes real. Now Amity would do anything to get things back to the way they were, her hopeless one sided pining. At least she hadn’t heard Luz confirm her worst fear. At least she could pretend. “But, I would love it if we could still be friends.” She says, misplaced confidence in her voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amity can’t help the bitter laugh that erupts from her throat. “Are you kidding? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Friends?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” She snatches her hand away and goes to pace around the room. “Do you know how much I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate </span>
  </em>
  <span>that word?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What…?” Luz asks, standing back to give Amity her space. She’s so mad Luz imagines she’s hot to the touch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> noticed?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” Luz backs away as Amity closes in on her. They bump against the wall. Amity pokes a finger to her chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re an idiot,” she says but there’s still a hint of fondness in her tone. Luz smirks and Amity is right back to square one. She flushes, completely losing her resolve. “Take this seriously!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t when you look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>she tries her best to suppress a giggle. “Gosh, I’m sorry. Can we kiss again?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“W—What?” Amity stammers. Well… now she doesn’t know how to feel. Is she supposed to stay mad and tell Luz no, she won’t kiss her, or kiss her right now and be a pathetic doormat who stands for nothing? This is certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>how she expected this to go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing ever goes according to plan when Luz is involved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So Amity does exactly what you expected her to and spends the rest of the afternoon just making out with Luz, but don’t worry because it’s still one sided— Luz doesn’t get the same rush from it like Amity does. She wanted to practice kissing as friends and Amity would gladly be anything Luz needs her to be, even if she was going to cry herself to sleep about it later. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, at least it was something. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading. That’s a long amount of time you’ll never get back.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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